good morning, america, i'm bianna golodryga. >> and i'm dan harris. it's sunday, september 5th. >> this morning -- campaign kick off. the battle for control of congress starts this weekend. as republicans try to seize the moment, while democrats desperately try to hold on to control. craigslist censored. the popular website for classified ads suddenly blocks access to its adult services section. did it cave to pressure from lawmakers who say it promotes illegal activity? copycat crime? another woman has acid thrown in her face. causing massive painful scarring. what caused this attack? the second such attack this week. and here comes what judge? a popular "american idol" judge is out. but, did kara dioguardi jump ship or was she pushed? now the search is on for a new

face at the judging table and we have the inside line for you. and a lot of rumors that j. lo could that replacement for that show. >> really? >> a whole new cast. >> i hadn't heard that. >> randy is the last judge standing. you have not heard that yet? >> no. >> that's the buzz. also, there could be a lot of changes in washington, too. labor day weekend is the unofficial end of summer and the official start of the campaign season. there are tight campaigns all over the country. with the balance of power in the house and senate in play. the president and the economy are the two crucial players in this contest. the tea party is a factor as well. we'll happened cap the races? just a moment. >> this will be a big week. the president is hitting the

campaign trail this week. also coming up, this half hour, take a look at this. anti-war protesters throwing eggs and shoes at tony blair in dublin. where the former british prime minister was signing copies of his controversial new book. our christiane amanpour talks to blair about his time in office. it's an abc news exclusive and it's coming up. and if you're planning a wedding, as i am, a segment you don't want to miss, how to have a high-class affair at a low cost. and we'll throw in some etiquette tips as well. no cell phones. no e-vite as far as invitations. >> three weeks away for you? >> three weeks. >> you got everything ready? >> we're getting there. close, yeah. >> we'll dig deeper later on. we'll start with the campaign season. which is about to go into overdrive. with president obama hitting the trail this week, right now 15 million americans are out of work. so the sluggish economy is likely to be the dominant issue. our david kerley is on the story in washington this morning. david, good morning to you.

>> reporter: good morning, dan. the starting gates are open. the sprint is on to the finish line, which is the november election. and president obama is on the road tomorrow, hoping that his new economic plan can hold back some of the republican wave. the venues -- >> hello, milwaukee. >> reporter: -- and the message are aimed at helping the economy but the democratic candidates as well. tomorrow, wisconsin. russ finegold is in trouble. wednesday, ohio, to try and help governor ted strickland. all as the latest polls show voters favor republicans for congress by a margin of six percentage points. >> there are races here where democratic incumbents are down. 10, 11 points. people are simply angry. they're angry about the economy, about not having jobs. they're angry about obama-care. >> reporter: that's playing right into republican hands. >> i believe washington is crushing us in spending and debt. >> reporter: is this a vote for republicans or just against democrats? >> if republicans win control of congress, it's because voters

are voting against democrats. >> reporter: while conservative tea party candidates may have complicated republican efforts. experts believe they are on track to regain control of the house. with high-profile democrats in tight races, harry reid and barbara boxer, republicans could make a run at power in the senate, too. feeling that wave, mr. obama has been left with little choice but to blame his predecessor and plead for patience. >> if the economy was a car and they drove it into the ditch, they come and tap us on the shoulder and they say, we want the keys back. you can't have the keys back. you don't know how to drive. >> reporter: a message that doesn't appear to be working. >> that effort has failed. the president can continue to work to try to show voters. that they need more time. that was what ronald reagan did in 1982. at this point, they've not been able to get traction with that argument. >> reporter: so, starting tomorrow, we're going to see how he tries to adjust that message. friday he holds a news conference.

back to you guys. >> david kerley in washington, thank you. >> let's get into this now with a pair of political pros. joining us from washington. democratic strategist karen finney and republican strategist, kevin madden. karen, let me start with you. this is that argument as we heard in david kerley's piece. it's the republicans that are to blame under george w. bush and the republican congress. that's when the economy went sour. it's their fault. blame it on them. it doesn't seem to be working. why not? >> because it's really hard to prove a negative. what we're trying to say, we need more time. when you try to explain to people and remind them that president obama came into office after 11 months of job losses and we're now starting to see private sector job growth, that's a hard argument to be out there making when a lot of people haven't felt it in their own lives. so i think what you're seeing democrats do is they're trying to make that contrast. it says if you really want to

have a speaker boehner, here is what the republican agenda will be, versus here is what democrats have been able to do. and if you give us more time, we'll keep on the right track. >> kevin, your party is in a bit of an interesting position. obviously, so many people are suffering right now. but this bad economy, political speaking, is a gift for the republicans, isn't it? >> well, it is. but i think it's largely because the public has judged the democrats and the president negatively. for all the arguments they try to make that this is george bush's fault and the republicans are blocking things, you know, they have the democrats and president obama, they asked for the job and they got it. they haven't performed. you see right now an electorate that is ready to render judgment. on that lack of leadership on the economy. >> let me stick with you for a second, kevin. the tea party. in the effort to take back the house and the senate, the effort that's ongoing right now by the democrats and republicans, is

the tea party a plus or a minus? >> i think it's a huge plus. right now you have to recognize the tea party as this leading indicator of a lot of voter anxiety and voter anger. at the way washington has responded to this economic slowdown. we have seen deficits pile up. the amount of federal spending increase. we have seen the fact that washington has this big disconnect when it comes to growing the size of government. the tea party right now is the leading edge of that voter anger. it's also a sign of a lot of republican enthusiasm. these tea party members have aligned themselves with base republican voters. as well as the independent voter to really give us a chance of really going into the midterms. >> and yet, on the flip side, some tea party candidates have gotten themselves in a little bit of trouble with some of the positions they've taken. karen, what is your take on that? do you see the tea party a plus for the democrats? >> absolutely. you know, look. a number of the tea party

candidates have taken some pretty out there, extreme positions. like doing away with social security. like suggesting that the civil rights act was an example of government overreach. i don't think we yet know the real impact of the tea party on the republican party in the general elections. what you saw in a lot of these primaries, whether or not the candidates, when row put them up for scrutiny in a general election, then seem like the right choice, i don't think we know the answer to that question. when you look at nevada, sharon angle's negatives are extremely high. i don't see her pulling that one out. >> i think the democrats have derided the tea party at their own risk. a lot of independent voters are watching that and saying, the tea party is against the growth of government, so am i. and it's really hurt them. i tell you what. sharon angle's negatives are not

as high as harry reid's. >> but kevin, i think the independents don't like the extremism. when it gets right down to it, and they have a choice between someone far, far to the right and very extreme, versus staying with at least the one you know, i don't think that will measure up. >> let me cut it off for just a second. we have 30 seconds left. i want to hear predictions from both of you. kevin, do the republicans take the house, the senate, both, or nothing? >> no, i think we take the house and the senate. i'm pretty sure we'll take the house. if you look back, back to world war ii, the house has never flipped without bringing the senate with it. >> karen, the republicans seem to have history on his side. >> i love kevin's hubris. i say keep it up. keep bragging my friend. i actually think the democrats will maintain control of both houses. i do think that the republicans are going to slim down the margin for us. it's going to be a lot tougher that a lot of people think. >> that's not hubris.

that's confidence. >> keep bragging. keep it up. >> we love the gentle sparring. thanks for being with us. karen finney and kevin madden. thank you for the humor and the hubris. we appreciate it. back to you. >> just a peek of what is coming up the next three months. we're going to overseas now to ireland. anti-war protesters threw eggs and shoes at tony blair at a dublin bookstore. he was signing copies of his just released memoir, "a journey, my political life." and while he's quite popular in ireland, the same cannot be said of his approval ratings in britain, which were quite low. "this week" host christiane amanpour sat down for an exclusive interview with blair. she joins us now from washington. i think a lot of people how unpopular he is at home. he's been three weeks, a month abroad. this book, he told friends, was sort of his way of normalizing relations with his home country. do you think he accomplishes that? >> you know. there will be a lot of monday morning quarterbacking on this

book. first, we hear it's flying off the shelves. people are interested in what is in it. his legacy to the people of britain or to many of them, will be the iraq war. that was deeply unpopular. there were one or two protests planned for his book signings. and interestingly, he did his first book tour, really, here in the united states. and we got here, at abc, the first interview. but, you know, the iraq war, he does not apologize for. but he talks about regretting the deaths of the soldiers there. >> and yet, he also said that he can't understand the hostility aimed at him. turning towards religion, he actually said he cares more about and is more focused on religion than even politics itself. he told you that he's fearful of militant islam rising. tell us about that. >> i think he feels, this is what he says, that he hadn't realized even after 9/11, what a generational struggle the fight against radical islam will be. let me just play what he said. >> this is actually more like the phenomenon of revolutionary

communism. it's the religious equivalent of it. its roots are deep, its tentacles are long, and its narrative about islam stretches far further than we think into even parts of mainstream opinion who abhor the extremism, but sort of buy some of the rhetoric that goes with it. >> what he's saying is that the west has to really confront whether it's going to push back on this issue of what he calls radical islam, just as they did in the 50 years of the cold war against revolutionary communism. he doesn't know yet, he said, whether people in the west are prepared for that. it doesn't mean war, but it means soft power and trying to end that struggle in that way which could take years and years. >> and tony blair also took office just upon princess diana's death. he talked to you about his

relationship and forging with the royal family as well. >> he did. he was a young prime minister. he came into office. he met princess diana. he called her a remarkable politician, even though she wasn't a politician. but she had a popular touch. she connected with people. that did, in fact, at one point pose a threat to the british monarchy. which was not used to that kind of visceral connection with the people that diana had.ñr >> he was the one known to soothe the relationship between the queen and people in england. thank you for joining us. be sure to watch all of the exclusive on "this week." and for the other headlines, ron claiborne. >> good morning. you really got kevin and karen going there. >> i know how to start a fight. the failed blowout preventer from bp's gulf of mexico oil spill is now in the custody of the fbi. the 50-foot, 300-ton piece of equipment was brought to the surface. and is being take on the a nasa facility in louisiana for analysis. it looks like craigslist has

removed the adult services section. it appears to be shut down. more from abc's mike marusarz. >> reporter: if you logon to craigslist looking for adult services, this is what you'll find. censored. the infamous section now shut down. craigslist claimed the spot was created only for legitimate adult businesses. it reportedly generated $36 million a year in revenue. but critics considered it a but critics considered it a lure for lewd and lascivious behavior. a marketplace for prostitution. >> it's not a victimless crime. human trafficking results in tragedies to children and others. >> reporter: a charge bolstered by last year's arrest of the 24-year-old boston university student, phillip markoff. he's accused of murdering a girl who advertised on the site. he was also accused of robbing two other women. who used craigslist to promote

their exotic services. craigslist ceo promised more vigilance. >> we're shocked and horrified anytime we hear about a crime being linked to our site in any way. it causes us to redouble our efforts to get the word out about being safe online. >> reporter: markoff committed suicide in his jail cell awaiting trial in august. recently, 17 state attorneys general filed suit, demanding the section of the website be shut down. it's unclear if the section is closed for good or if the word censored that replaced it is meant as a message to critics. for a site that offers almost anything, answers appear in short supply. for "good morning america," mike marusarz, abc news. at least three russian solders have been killed in a suicide bombing in a remote region of the country. at least 30 others were wounded. a car bomber attacked a military base. the republic is hit by near daily violence. between soldiers and

separates, insurgents. and there will be no return fight for stephen slater. jetblue says that slater is no longer an employee. he drew national attention after he slid down the plane's emergency chute. beer in hand. following a confrontation with a passenger. and finally, put your right foot in, put your right foot out. you know the tune. that's what more than 7,000 people in iowa did to set the record for the most people dancing the hokey pokey. they shattered the old record by almost 3,000 people. a cynical person could say they have too much time on their hands. but i wouldn't say that. >> you're not that cynical for sure. >> right. >> everybody needs a hobby, ron. >> sing it for us again? >> i'm not doing it. >> you, marysol, not cynical. in the slightest. >> no, who doesn't love the hokey pokey? come on? >> do you mean that? >> not at all. good morning, everyone.

let's take a look at some video of what was hurricane earl. believe it or not, two people died as a result of this hurricane. one in new jersey, one off the coast of canada. it was all due to rough seas. that was the big story as you look at this video coming out of block island. the good news is that earl is pretty much out of here. but we still have some active tropics. we're still in the peak of the hurricane season. two systems. here's a tropical low in the middle of the atlantic. it may reform into something. we're keeping an eye on it. closer to home, in the gulf of mexico, the one we're keeping an eye on. it's close to land. it's a low. it, as we track it, it sort of moves towards texas, the mexico border. al

>> thanks so much. more on your sunday outlook a little bit later on in the show. bianna, a little "american idol." >> dan is paying attention now. here's the big story of the morning. the biggest drama comes at the end of the season usually. but this season, there's plenty of it before the audition begins. the show that launched some singing careers is getting an extreme makeover as another judge leaves. jeremy hubbard has the latest. >> reporter: with season ten auditions already under way, it's down to the wire. can "american idol" find the right new judges to stop a ratings slide? >> this is wake-up call. the ratings went down

approximately 5 million this year. they can not lose another 5 million next season. it's a perfect time for the judge panel to be shaken up. >> reporter: kara dioguardi's departure had been rumored for weeks. but the search for new judges has been dragging on forever, with everyone from justin timberlake to elton john on the wish list. as recently as last sunday night, at the emmys, the executive producer was holding out hope. >> i heard you wanted elton john, any truth to that? >> i would love elton john. i'll keep my fingered crossed is all i can say. >> reporter: the latest front runners? j. lo. who, according to press reports was in the running, then totally dismissed for too many demands. and now is back in. steven tyler is reportedly in the mix as well. he played coy a couple of weeks ago. >> are you going to do "american idol." ? >> i don't know. is that the rumor you heard? >> everybody is saying it. >> i don't know. they haven't called me yet.

they got to lay out some bread for me. >> reporter: it's been a dizzying game of musical chairs. on the judges' panel. kara joined, then paula left, and ellen arrived, now simon, ellen, and kara are all gone. the last man standing? randy jackson. >> i'm going to honestly, honestly miss you. it's been a blast. thank you. >> reporter: the big question, can "idol" ever again find the right mix? especially after losing their sharp-tongued standout. simon cowell is launching his own talent show, "the x factor" on fox. >> american idol, without simon it's like "the ellen show" without ellen. it's weird. it will limp along. hopefully, it will find some new chemistry that will make it relevant to a whole new generation. >> reporter: whatever they decide, they better do it soon. callbacks start in a couple of weeks. for "good morning america," jeremy hubbard, abc news, new york. her horrific acid attack >> and if they want steven tyler, they have to lay out the

bread. >> and j. lo. talk about star power. elton john. steven perry. a lot of star power there. >> like weekend "gma another horrific acid attack leaves a woman severely burned. was it a copycat crime? we'll talk to an expert. coming up, we've been talkinbout the with chase freedom you can get a total of 5% cash back. fun money from freedom. that's 5% cash back in quarterly categories and an unlimited 1% cash back everywhere else. and this too. does your card do this? i'm going to need a supervisor over here at gate 4. sign up for this quarter's bonus today. chase what matters. go to chase.com/freedom. when allergies make them itch, don't wait for your pills to kick in. choose alaway, from the eye health experts at bausch & lomb. it works in minutes and up to 12 hours. bausch & lomb alaway. because it's not just your allergies, it's your eyes. but viva puts 35% more towel

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coming up, we've been talking about my wedding the past few weeks. how do you kick off a wedding on a budget?

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♪ check this out. you're looking at a beautiful and largely undiscovered part of the american west. smaller than the grand canyon. less visited than the bryce canyon. but just as jaw dropping. it's called cedar breaks, it's in an out of the way corner of utah. and it's stunning, as you can see. we're going to take you there later on. good morning, america. i'm dan harris. >> and i'm bianna golodryga. it's sunday, september 5th. also, still ahead, fall wedding season is upon us. something i know all too well. my wedding is only three weeks away. we have tips for brides on how to plan the perfect wedding for a perfectly affordable price.

we'll even have etiquette tips as well. >> no cell phones. >> no cell phones. first, though, we're going to begin with a very serious and genuinely shocking story out of mesa, arizona. a woman there had acid thrown in her face right outside of her home. and this is the second acid attack in a week. our linsey davis has the story. we want to warn you first. some of the images are hard to watch. >> reporter: recovering from second-degree burns. 41-year-old dari valardi told arizona's kpnx tv she had just arrived home on thursday when a stranger tossed acid in her face. >> i saw a woman walking up with what looked like a glass of water in her hand. immediately, i was on fire, started to burn. >> reporter: her attacker ran away. police say the believe this was not a random act. was this a copycat crime? just this past week, a woman in washington state had acid thrown in her face.

this is bethany before the attack. this is bethany after. >> once it hit me, i could hear it bubbling and sizzling my skin. >> reporter: bandaged after surgery, she described how a woman came up to her with a cup, saying, hey, pretty girl, and then tossed acid in her face. >> it was like it almost didn't hurt right away because of the panic. then, once i let it sink in, it started burning through my flesh. >> reporter: luckily, though she rarely wears sunglasses, she has just bought a pair and was wearing them. her eyesight was spared. >> did you wake up and say, i'm going to carry some acid in a cup and throw it on the first person i see? >> reporter: such attacks are rare, but do happen. in 2008, model katie piper was walking down the street in london. >> this is when i lost my beautiful face. >> reporter: after a violent breakup, piper's ex-boyfriend hired a man to splatter her face

with acid he had in coffee cup. she was not wearing glasses. >> i just thought i was dead. because i couldn't see. i had lost the sight in both eyes. >> reporter: the man who threw the acid at piper is facing asy tense. the two attackers from this week remain at large. for "good morning america," linsey davis, abc news. >> an incredibly violent act. let's go to washington, d.c., and our abc news consultant, a former fbi special agent and profiler, brad garrett. good morning, brad. >> good morning, dan. >> isn't it unusual? as we have seen in these two cases in the united states, this past week, the perpetrators were allegedly women. isn't that unusual? >> it is somewhat unusual. statistics say about 80% of acid attacks are male. but the motivation will be quite similar. >> so, as a profiler, what would motivate somebody to do something like this? it's such a cruel act. you're not going to kill

somebody, you're just going to leave them in pain and disfigurement for the rest of their lives. >> and i think that goes to the point, rage, power and anger are the primary motivators. the perpetrator wants to not only exact revenge, but they want the person to suffer for the rest of their lives. i mean it's -- it goes to -- these crimes are actually evil. >> correct me if i'm wrong. but my understanding is a majority of these acid attacks usually take place in religious, orthodox countries, especially in the middle east. and they're often honor crimes. you're punishing a woman that who has allegedly brought dishonor on the family or committed adultery in some way? >> yes. but the motivations are similar. they are all about something that a person has done that someone else does not like. many of those crimes are driven by sex, where the guy feels he got dissed. or refusal of marriage. and so it's all about revenge of

-- i want something. i don't want anybody else to have it. i'm going to ensure that you can't have it as you go through life. >> to state the obvious, it's incredibly unfortunate and upsetting that we're seeing it hr(t&háhp &hc two in one week. do you reckon it's possible that the second one was a copycat crime? >> i think it's a possibility. it's happened before, not necessarily with acid. but, if you look at violent crime, particularly high-profile homicides, there will be copycats afterward. people use it as justification to commit an act they've been thinking about. >> and given the clear set of motivations often involved in these cases, i would imagine that makes them a little bit easier to crack, to solve, to arrest someone. >> much like domestic abuse or domestic homicide, there's usually a link between the victim and perpetrator. and usually in short order the police have figured out who did it. >> brad, thanks for coming on.

difficult topic. we appreciate your input, though. see you later. and now, the rest of the day's headlines, once again with ron claiborne. >> good morning, again. in the news, seven people have been killed in a suicide car bombing in baghdad. at least 21 people were injured in the attack on the former defense ministry building. and new zealand is cleaning up the damage after saturday's powerful earthquake. in the city of christchurch, a 7.1 magnitude. power is back on to 90% of the people in that city. a woman is ordered to be lashed after her picture showed up in the "times of london." not wearing a head scarf. but it appears that she may have been misidentified in that photo. and a new world record for simultaneous lassoing. they beat the previous record of 23 cowboys as they twirled the ropes for almost three minutes. lots of world records being reported here on "gma" weekend. and that's a quick look at the headlines. over to marysol with the

weather. only we know how to break news here on the weekend show. it's the unofficial end of summer. i tell you, folks in the northeast and midwest should really revel in today's weather. it's going to be absolutely delightful. 73 and very sunny in minneapolis. st. louis, 81. portland, boston, new york, into the 70s. what was hurricane earl is out of here. in its wake, just beautiful skies. so take advantage of it. even in the south, two trouble spots. we're keeping an eye on. portions of southern texas and south florida getting a few thunderstorms this afternoon. other than that, well into the >> thanks

>> thanks so much. this weather report has been brought to you by macy's. bianna and dan? >> from lassoing to the hokey pokey, we have all the stories. >> the biggest stories on the planet. another big story coming up. >> this one is huge. >> tips for the budget-conscious bride. how to cut costs without looking cheap. >> bianna's wedding three weeks away. important stuff. plus, we'll take you to the cedar breaks national monument in the "weekend window." plus, we'll take you to the cedar breaks national monument in the "weekend window."

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♪ the best is yet to come and, babe, won't it be fine ♪ as i count down to my wedding later this month, i can tell you, as every bride to be, planning a wedding is not cheap or easy. there are ways to cut costs and still make it look elegant. to show us how, wedding expert shawn rabideau is here with us again. good morning, shawn. >> good morning. >> every bride wants the best of everything. let's start with the invitations.

do they have to be expensive? do e-vites ever work? >> no. you should never send e-vites. you should think about your invitations. there are a lot of inexpensive options out there. do your research. go to the stationery store. >> and what is a must to have on the invitation? >> you definitely should have the date, the time, the location. things such as direction, hotel accommodations. if you can't do all of those ancillary cards that get stuffed behind, go ahead and put those on your wedding website. it's a great place to put all that other information. and it doesn't cost a lot of money. >> people are creating wedding websites. >> they are. it's a great place for the details. >> absolutely, it's a great place. >> here's an issue i -- a personal one for me. a decision that i made. unless children were in the wedding party, then people could not bring children. you don't want to offend one family member and another guest can. what is the ultimate rule for

children? >> the ultimate rule for children, you do not have to feel obligated to invite children. i think what you did is a great solution. you know, think of really close relatives, nieces and nephews. beyond that, don't invite children. i like to tell parents who are invited to a wedding, look at it as a date night. it's a great opportunity to have fun and not worry about the kids. >> a date night, especially for the bride and groom. talking about invitations who you want to invite, whether they can bring a plus one. that's usually on the invitation. what if somebody comes to you after the fact asking to bring someone? what is the polite way of saying you already have a head count and you can't go over it? >> just what you said. a polite way is, you're on a budget. you can't go over the count. currently, until all the rsvps are in, you must decline that plus one. if it changes, then go ahead and do it. a good rule for guests being

invited, if it says mr. john smith, then that means you're jsut invited by yourself. >> by yourself. and i can't help but notice the beautiful flowers here. how important are flowers? you brought these in. >> i did. >> they can be costly as well. >> they c bouteasnd l blooms. hydrangeas. flowers that take up a lot of space. if you use them, you don't ha to use as many. flowers are an integral part. it really does set the tone. they're beautiful. you don't have to go crazy. you don't have to break the bank. >> because most people like to see a beautiful bouquet. they are experts when it comes to food. how important is to have enough food and stay within the budget? and are there creative options >> there are. one of the things that a lot of clients are starting to do n is exs. you can offer a lot of food, a variety of food. you can do, let's say, six hors d'oeuvres, two s.

small plates that get passed. and you can do stations. this is a great opportunity for guests to gete they get a lot of food. there's lots of choices. they're not just sitting and eatl. >> and with that food comes the alcohol. that's a must for many guests. open bars can be expensive. what are some of the options? >> they can be. i think the thing to think about is offering, let's say, one specialty drink that might be a vodka-based drink, or a station that has several vodka-based drinks. and then do beer and wine. you're giving the best of both worlds, again, without breaking the bank. >> another issue. what do you do about party favors? how much money should you put aside? should you go into the budget? >> i like to look at it that you just presented your guests with a wonderful evening of great food, great dancing, beverages. that's your gift back to them. to have this intimate wedding. if you're tight on a budget, skip the favors altogether. don't worry about it. i tend to think that sometimes

they just get tossed or eaten too quickly and not really enjoyed so just go ahead and skip that. >> and guests usually talk more about the food -- >> that's correct. and the fun they had. >> great tips. thank you for joining us. we appreciate it. >> thank you very much. >> have a good weekend. we'll be right back. nighttime nasal congestion meant, i couldn't breathe right. i couldn't sleep right. next day it took forever to get going. night after night, i sat up. sprayed up. took a shower... or took a pill. then i tried drug-free breathe right. and instantly, i breathed better!

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in a remote area not far from two of utah's most popular and largest national parks is a a smaller, often overlooked scenic wonder. it's a magical spot called cedar breaks. it's where our "weekend window" opens in high-definition. >> cedar breaks is in

southwestern utah. it's kind of the hidden gem between zion and bryce canyon national parks. this area has been used by people for over 9,000 years. so, historically, to come across a place like this, where you travel through the forests and then you just come across this cliff edge. >> a lot of people think we're a smaller version of bryce canyon. and that's because our amphitheater looks the same. it's twice as deep and twice as steep. in so, it reveals the colors a lot better. if you're into color, this is definitely the place to be. the oranges and yellows and reds you see are a byproduct of iron oxide. white is pure limestone. purple is manganese oxide. hoodoo is the name of the rock formations out here. hoodoo is simply something that charms, enchants, casts a spell.

if you're out here lock enough and you see the way the light reflects off the rocks, they do just that. they charm you. they enchant you. and you have a spell cast upon you. >> here in the park, we have ripple cone pines that date back to over 1600 years here. the oldest is 1,671 years old this year. they're amazing trees. they have to be really hearty, durable plants. cedar breaks is a very special place. i think because there is something here for everyone. if it's either the spectacular views that you get of our geologic amphitheater, or the cool mountain air or experiencing our forests and meadows, or just observing the wildlife. it's definitely a unique place here. >> usually, most visitors don't say anything when they get here. i like to say it's the number one cause of speechlessness in southwestern utah. ime credit. me

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well, tomorrow on "good morning america," an emotional reunion, a nurse learns that her patient is her long lost father. >> fascinating. and almost the last weekend of summer. >> it is. >> get after it at home. >> thanks for depressing us. >> i love fall. >> thanks for letting us torture you today and yesterday. >> it's been my pleasure. >> come back. [ male announcer ] have something you love doing?

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